Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Zack
An ATV tears into the clearing and I blink as Jere drives it next to us. The witch sitting behind him jumps off the moment they stop. She’s looking a tad pale, but it’s nothing compared to how white she turns when she sees Samantha.
“Ms. Ramsey. Oh no!” She pushes her way past the two growling wolves and drops to her knees next to me.
“Earth and Wind, no,” she mumbles and reaches for Samantha. The air fills with growls. Mine, the wolves’, the vamps’… I can’t tell. She hesitates, her hand hovering over Samantha’s. “I need to help her.”
Moretti growls at the witch, pushing her aside. Samantha chokes and vomits more blood. A pitiful whimper escapes her, and she retches some more before falling limp. Moretti forces his bleeding wrist over her lips, but she refuses to drink and vomits out what little drips into her mouth.
Santiago curses softly and tears out his wrist. “She has to drink!”
“I know!” I bark back at him.
“May—” Both of us snarl at the witch and she falls silent. She takes a deep breath and tries again. “I can help her.” Her hand is still hovering over Samantha.
“Fine,” Moretti grinds out. “But if you hurt her, I’ll drain you dry.”
“Naturally,” she mutters and immediately begins chanting. Santiago’s head snaps up and the pack pushes closer. Faint light encases Samantha and then slowly, it moves over Patricia too. The witch gasps but doesn’t stop her chanting.
“What is she doing?” Santiago asks through gritted teeth.
“Hell if I know. Helping.”
A faint shimmer creeps over my fur, and when the witch keeps up her steady chanting, my wounds stop leaking. It’s easier to breathe and soon Samantha takes a deeper breath too.
I want to know what’s going on, but the witch has a concentrated look on her face and sweat beading on her forehead. She’s clearly struggling to keep up whatever she’s doing. And whatever it is, it’s helping Samantha, so I keep my mouth shut.
Henry’s pack fills the clearing with yips, howls, and growls. I spot Grandfather at the back of the pack and relax just a tiniest bit. He’ll keep the pack in order if things threaten to get out of hand. For now, he seems to be more focused on Samantha than the pack’s antics, though.
I sense the disapproval wafting from him in waves and my wolf wants to back down and growl at the same time. I was supposed to protect her, not let her get beaten up. Hurt.
“What a shit show.” I hear someone mutter and glance up. Jere is the only one in his human form from the pack and he’s shaking his head atop the ATV. I agree with him, but when Samantha gasps, my attention snaps right back to her.
The witch is working hard; the smell of lavender is permeating the air around her and now I get why Samantha detested the taste. It’s horrendous. I can’t believe people put that stuff in their homes on purpose.
Samantha chokes up more blood and then her breathing evens out again. Sweat trickles down the witch’s face and she’s breathing heavily. My wolf doesn’t like the fact that she’s so close to Samantha when she’s hurt, but I hold back. She’s helping and my wolf knows it too.
It takes a moment for me to realize I’m still hearing the sound of the motor coming closer and closer. Somebody is tearing through the landscape at breakneck speed and they are headed right toward us.
My hackles rise and when I let loose a growl, the pack gets into a frenzy. I have no way to know if there’s a new threat or not, but I’m not taking any chances. Just as I’m ready to jump—struggle—to my feet, Grandfather howls.
The pack moves out of the way of a cross-country motorcycle and the woman driving it. She basically jumps off it, letting the bike crash to the ground. Her hair is wind torn and her eyes blaze purple. I don’t have time to react before she’s kneeling next to Samantha.
With a relieved sigh, the witch lowers her hands and the glow around Samantha evaporates. When the last of the light fades, her eyes pop open.